Deputy involved in shooting in Pinal County

By KTAR.com | February 15, 2015 at 3:09 pmUPDATED: February 15, 2015 at 3:18 pm

Police in Pinal County responded to a call Friday, Feb. 13 at approximately 8:30 p.m. regarding a suspicious person who had confronted a woman and her husband in the front driveway of their home.

The woman said the subject, later identified as 37-year-old Daniel Mejia, had “squared off showdown style” with her husband and was brandishing a large knife. Mejia reportedly then began to swing the knife around before appearing to be in a confrontation with a large wooden light pole, which he allegedly began to stab.

A uniformed deputy was dispatched to the call in a fully marked patrol call and located the subject. The deputy reportedly observed Mejia holding a large knife in his hand and made repeated verbal commands for him to drop the knife. Mejia instead allegedly moved toward the deputy and told him he was going to harm him.

The deputy then reportedly pointed his gun at Mejia and told him to stay back, which Mejia refused. The deputy then shot Mejia.

A family member of Mejia told the Pinal County Criminal Investigations Bureau that he always carried two knives and suffered from severe mental health issues.